ENE 502 ENVIRONMENTAL AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SPRING 2014
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Geraldine Knatz (knatz@usc.edu)
TEACHING ASSISTANT Arash Mohegh, Office KAP 209A 213-422-6902 mohegh@usc.edu
PHONE: 562-506-4258 until Jan 31, then I will provide a new number.
OFFICE HOURS: Dr. Knatz: By appointment
Mr. Mohegh: Friday 10-11 am in the TA room in KAP
Course Materials are found on the DEN website: http://www.uscden.net
ENE 502: Environmental and Regulatory Compliance (3.0 units)
Federal and state environmental laws; environmental impact assessment techniques; permitting for
industrial facility construction and operation. Graduate standing.
 Restriction: Registration closed to the following class level(s): Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior,
Senior
Section Type
Time
Days
Registered
Instructor Location
Geraldine
31412R Lecture 6:40-9:20pm Monday 20 of 49
RTH105
Knatz
Geraldine
31413D Lecture 6:40-9:20pm Monday 6 of 10
DEN@Viterbi
Knatz
COURSE PURPOSE: The purpose of ENE 502 is to give students a working knowledge of major
environmental laws and the environmental impact assessment and permitting process. We will cover
some of the key federal environmental statutes as well as the responsibilities of key regulatory agencies
involved in environmental compliance. We will also seek comparisons with the regulatory environment
found in other parts of the world. Many of the source materials you will use in this course are based on the
regulatory environment in California. This does not mean that if you don’t plan to work in California this
course is not useful to you. Because California is often the world’s leader in many environmental areas,
you will be exposed to regulatory regimes that may go way beyond what is done in your home country or
your home state at this time. As the trend worldwide is more focus on environmental compliance, not less,
regulations that may seem infeasible today could become more feasible or acceptable over time. In
addition, many times countries or states look to what others have done to help deal with their
environmental issues and California is often used as a model by other jurisdictions. In addition, the
course emphasizes how to use critical thinking skills to analyze consequences of a planned action and
determine impacts of changes in the environment, as compared with knowing the specifics of a particular
regulation.
I typically like to have the students work as part of a group to undertake an environmental assessment of a
major development project that concludes in a “mock” public hearing at the end of the semester. We may
also have the opportunity to supplement class lectures with a relevant field trip that might include
participation in a public hearing for a controversial development project.
THIS SEMESTER, RATHER THAN ANALYZE OUR OWN PROJECTS WE WILL ACTIVELY
PARTICIPATE IN THE REVIEW OF THE DRAFT BAY DELTA CONSERVATION PLAN AND ITS
RECENTLY RELEASED EIR/EIS. THE REVIEW PERIOD IS DCEMBER 13, 2013 THROUGH APRIL
14, 2014 THE CLASS WILL SUBMIT A FORMAL WRITTEN COMMENT ON THE PLAN .
COURSE TEXTBOOKS AND MATERIALS: I do not typically rely on a textbook because this field
changes rapidly. I have however, elected to use a textbook for this semester because the book is
organized similar to the framework of this course. : I like to supplement the course with a book that is of
general interest to facilitate discussion about how the course material related to the world we live in.
California Environmental Law and Policy, a Practical Guide by Albert Herson and Gary Lucks.
ISBN 978-0-923956-60-8.This book is produced by Solano Press. Another book that they produce called
the CEQA Deskbook by Bass, Herson and Bogdan has also been used for this course in the past and is a
must have book if you find yourself working for a local government in California and have responsibilities
for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. This book should be in the USC bookstore.
Land of Sunshine, An Environmental History of Metropolitan Los Angeles, Edited by William
Deverell and Greg Hise. 2005. ISBN 0-8229-43254-2. This book can be purchased on Amazon new or
used for less than $20. There is also a kindle edition available. This book is a series of essays and we
will discuss selected essays throughout the semester.
One of the goals of this course will be to teach you where to find the most current information on an
environmental or regulatory matter. Therefore, we will rely heavily on information from federal, state and
local regulatory agencies that students will be required to download from the internet or are already
downloaded and on the DEN course website. . Students will also be expected to download resources
from the internet for class discussions and to use in completion of the homework assignments.
YOU SHOULD CHECK THE BLACKBOARD COURSE SITE FREQUENTLY ESPECIALLY IN THE
BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING COURSE MATERIALS
THAT NEEDED TO BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE INTERNET AND FOR HOMEWORK
ASSIGNMENTS.
COURSE GRADING: This is the breakdown that I normally use for this course but since this is now a
DEN class I am reconsidering the grading process, fieldtrips, and course project.
Class Participation/Homework/Readings
Exam
Project
30%
25%
45% (Oral 15%, Written 30%)
Homework: Most of the homework will be loaded up on our blackboard class site. You are required to
complete the homework on time and be prepared to discuss it in class the session the homework is due
which is typically the next class session. I will call on students at random to discuss the homework
assignment. If your homework is late, you will be unable to participate in the class discussion which will
affect your class participation grade. As you will see from the above grading breakdown, homework and
class participation carries a significant weight in the overall grading.
Exams: I will give one or two comprehensive exams during the semester. There is no opportunity for a
make-up exam so you must be present the day of the exam.
Project: For about half the semester you will work on a group project. Typically the class breaks into two
or three groups depending on the size in order to undertake the project. In this project, you will examine
the environmental consequences of a major proposed development project such as expansion of LAX
airport, development of an LNG receiving terminal in California, construction of a major commuter rail line,
etc. It will be necessary for students to contact the agency proposing the project, seek information on the
project description and among the group, assign and develop the analyses to assess the proposed
project. As this will likely be the first experience you may have had doing this kind of work, I will work with
each group and guide them to key resources and contact people. At the end of the semester, students
will present their project and, if lucky, survive a “mock” public hearing before the rest of the class who,
acting in assigned “roles” will be prepared to comment on and critique your analyses. Because of the
nature of this course project, there is no opportunity for you to make up the oral part of the presentation
and public hearing. You must be present at this class session.
Students with Disabilities: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is
required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for
approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as
early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Statement on Academic Integrity: USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General
principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the
expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the
obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using
another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles.
Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Governance Chapter, Section
11.00 at the following link.
http://scampus.usc.edu/1100-behavior-violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/
Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further
review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty.
DATE
COURSE OUTLINE
Note: Detailed instructions on the homework assignments are found on the course blackboard
site. The Homework assignments listed below are the assigned dates. Homework is “due” the
next regularly scheduled class.
1/13
Course Overview- Introduction to Environmental Regulations: How
do you keep current? Laws versus Policies. What are Environmental Professionals?
Homework assignment for week 1: Laws, regulations and the EPA, CEQA On-line
resources
Assignments:
Homework Assignment No. 1
Reading: Herson Chapter 2 and Chapter 1, page 17.
1/20
Martin Luther King Holiday
1/27
NEPA/CEQA/The Concept of Env. Assessment
Environmental Justice
An Introductory Discussion about Deverell’s book.
Assignments:
Reading Deverell, Chp 9. Zoning and Environmental Inequity.
Homework2: International EIA
Homework3: Air QuaIity Assessment- Part I
2/4 TUESDAY NOT MONDAY NIGHT
NOTE- SPECIAL DATE AND TIME. PUBLIC MEETING ON THE BAY DELTA CONSERVATION PLAN
IN LOS ANGELES
Tuesday, February 4, 2014, 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Los Angeles Convention Center
1201 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90015
2/10
AIR QUALITY Impact Assessment
Assignments
Homework4: Air Quality Assessment- Part II
Reading: Herson Chapter 5
Deverell: Chapter 4 Pollution and Public Policy
You Need to Have Your Group and Your EIR Chapter Selected
2/17
Noise Impact Assessment/Asbestos Regulations
Assignments
Homework5 Noise Assessment
Reading: Herson Chapter 6
Deverell: Chapter 6 Who Killed the LA River?
2/24
President’s Holiday
3/3
Green House Gas Analysis- How to do it and what is significant
Assignments:
Reading: Recommendation by AEP on How to Analyze GHG Emissions under CEQA
Deverell: Chapter 10 Los Angeles Against the Mountains
3/10
Transportation/Service Systems Impact Assessment/ Ecological Assessments/Water
Quality
Assignments:
Homework6: Transportation Assessment
Deverell: Chapter 5 Beaches versus Oil
3/17
Spring Break
3/24
Regulatory Compliance Overview- Hazardous Waste Management
RCRA, CERCLA, and SARA
Assignments:
Herson: Chapter 8
3/31
Oral Report on Analysis of the Bay Delta EIR/EIS.
4/7
Preparation and Submission of Final Class Comments to the State Dept of Resources
4/14
Site Investigations/Underground Storage Tanks
Assignments:
Homework7: Contaminated sites where you live
Reading: Herson, Chapter 7
Avoiding the Purchase of Contaminated Property (Unknowingly!)
4/21
Non-point Source Pollution Management
Assignments:
Homework 8: Pollution Prevention Plans
Reading: Herson Chapter 10
4/28
Audits and Risk Assessments
How health issues and health risk assessments relate to the
Environmental process.
IS0 14001
Assignments:
Reading: Herson Chapter 19
Deverell: Chapter 11: Thirteen Ways to Find Nature in LA.
5/5
Study Days
Reading; Deverell Epilogue The Present As History
5/12
Final Exam